Replacement system for HAI UPB Lighting setup

[hipertec]

Currently have a home that was built in 2006 with the Omni Alarm and HAI lighting system setup. We've disconnected the setup and Im going to replace the alarm system.

My issue is the HAI lighting Setup/UPB. The home is wired using the UPB setup where the load switches are in 3 closets, then going to the rooms throughout the house. I guess a "master/slave" wire setup in most of the areas in the home. With that said, is there any other brands out there that I can replace without re-wiring the home?

I've heard Lutron RadioRA3 system can work with the existing wiring setup but wanted to see what other users here have replaced their setup with. Im not worried about scenes but mostly having an app that can turn on/off my lights.

 

[ano]

UPB is a technology where control signals are sent over existing power wires. Typically you don't find UPB setups like this because there isn't really a need to. UPB is great because you can manually control every switch like any other light switch, or it can be remotely controlled. With switches in a closet, what happens if a future homeowner doesn't want to use automation, they have to go in a closet to turn on or off a light? In any case, any technology that doesn't use additional wiring should work, because there IS NO additional wiring. RadioRA, Zigbee, WiFi, or any technology without additional wires.

 

[hipertec]

Thanks for the info. My current house wiring, where all the load wires/masters (4 wire) goes to the closet and 2 wires/slave switches goes to the room, Im limited to what is available since, most of the rooms where the slave keypads (2 wires) are only have the white/black/ground wiring. I believe these 2 wiring dont have a load wire. Thoughts?

 

[ano]

Typically, automated switch have a “remote” wire, because this way they can replace a standard 3-way or 4-way switch setup. But it sounds like you are a poster child for the reason to never build a house for non-standard wiring. All I can say is hopefully you got a good price on the house, because you may need to spend big rewiring it, or face a big markdown when you try to sell it. Did the home inspector raise any red flags here?

So you could have your home rewired, or make it work the best you can. UPB is a good technology because two UPB switches can control each other over wiring without any controller. There are a few other automated technologies that do have remote switches, BUT the bad news, there is typically no indicator on the remote switch to know if the load is on or off. UPB included.

If you are not rewiring, I would buy a few types, and try their remote switches to see what you like best. Usually remote switches are nothing to write home about. I have 55 UPB switches that all are still working after 10 years, but NO remote switches, because I never liked how they look or operate.

I should add, if your home is a very expensive home, say $5M+, then un-standard wiring is less of a big deal. That class of a home tends to be more custom, so the new owner might tear up the wiring and not bat an eye at the cost.

 

[McKinneySmart]

I never liked the "remote" or "slave" device. So I use what I call the "pseudo-3way". There are 2 or 3 situations in my house where there were 3-way installations.
The pseudo/remote/slave device is just a 600watt switch with no load. It is programmed to send and receive UPB scenes (links) with the actual switch controlling the load. (Essentially the pseudo-3way is a controller.)

CAUTION: The wiring should be done by a qualified electrician.